Effects of acute exercise on inspiratory muscle strength and endurance in untrained women and men

Aim. The purpose of this study was to determine if sex differences are present in exercise-induced inspiratory muscle function in untrained humans. Methods. Eight young untrained women (23.8  1.5 y, VO2max = 33.7 ± 4.0 ml/kg/min) and men (26.1  2.0 y, VO2max = 36.7 ± 1.2 ml/kg/min) performed high-intensity cycling exercise (80% WRmax) to exhaustion. Inspiratory muscle strength and endurance were assessed pre- and post-exercise by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) and time to task failure during a constant-load breathing test (CLBT), respectively. Results. Relative intensity and time to exhaustion during high-intensity exercise was similar between women and men. Prior to exercise, PImax was similar between sexes. After exercise, women and men showed similar reductions in PImax (W: 140.4 ± 9.9 to 124.6 ± 6.7 cmH2O, p < 0.05; M: 147.7 ± 10.2 to 128.1 ± 11.1 cmH2O, p < 0.05). No sex difference was found in the magnitude change in PImax following exercise (W: 15.8 ± 7.9